Wilbur Falls

Running time: N/A

It's not a wonder that Wilbur Falls garnered the Best Drama and Best First Feature Award at the Las Vegas International Film Festival. It's also no wonder that the film has become the favorite at many festivals. Even more impressive than Danny Aiello's or Sally Kirkland's performance in Wilbur Falls is the fact that writer/director Juliane Glantz was just 21 when she completed the film. At the heart of this story is Renata, a shy and awkward young woman who becomes the victim of a cruel high school prank. Fast forward four years to Renata on the verge of revenge aimed directly at Jeffrey, the boy who humiliated her in front of her classmates years before. Nothing goes as planned, however, and suddenly Renata is the prime suspect in murder, a scandalous abortion, and mafia dealings. While looking for a way out of her predicament, Renata becomes more than friends with the young woman who is pregnant with Jeffrey's baby. Danny Aiello, as Renata's father, Phillip, has by this time lost his way in life. Once the town sheriff, he spends much of his time in the outhouse overlooking the frog pond. Not really knowing how to connect with his daughter, Phillip wants only to help, but what's the best way to do that? Sally Kirkland as Renata's yoga-squatting, mantra-chanting mother, and comic Fred Stoller (Seinfeld) provide a delightfully quirky touch to Glantz' feature film debut. --Jeffrey Vargas